PHILADELPHIA — Don't look now, but the Nationals have lost two straight and four of their last five against the Phillies. OK, so that may not mean as much in the grand scheme of things as it used to, but it bears repeating that the five-time NL East champs are no pushovers despite their current sub-.500 record.

The Nationals will try to get back on track tonight with Gio Gonzalez on the mound, seeking his league-leading 17th victory. He'll be opposed by Roy Halladay, who has owned the Nats franchise over his career (11-2, 2.55 ERA in 17 career meetings) but lost their only encounter this season when he was tagged for five runs on nine hits.

No lineup posted yet for the Nationals, but they're not expected to have either Michael Morse (bruised hand) or Ian Desmond (mild hamstring strain) in there tonight. We should have an update on both players' status later this afternoon.

I hope there is no rain delay, so Gio gets a clean warm up and start. And may our bats find jeuge again. Doc isn't invincible. And wouldn't it be great for Werth to do some damage in his old haunts? Go BATS! GYFNG!

Saw the line ups on twitter – no desi or morse, lombo and bernie. Hope the bats wake up tonight. Is this rain headed there? Two games in a row feels like a major slump. Then I look at our record and remember that we have some wins stashed away for a rainy day. Need to get it back on track, though.

Going out on a limb (in my 2nd-ever NI post) to say that Werth is gonna do something big tonight. Think he'll be seeking redemption after yesterday's oh-fer with the big swinging K with two on. GO NATS!!!!

Sitting back on beautiful PEI. Thinking to my self that last year this team was nothing. Friends at work would smirk. Enjoy the ride, I remember '94. A rare thing a good team.Think of it, this team will be better next year. Pretty scary regardless of the millions thrown around by Magic and co.

MicheleS @ 5:23,Yes, but having freed himself of several big contracts, Mr. Cherrington will be able to write some rather large checks. And, assuming the check is large enough, players — and their agents — tend to assume that they can overcome all the other stuff.

I'm with Swift Eagle on the 'no panic' approach. As much as I'd love the Nats to go undefeated the rest of the season, this is not a 100-win team. That means, by definition, they're going to lose at least another 15 games — probably a few more than that. And given that they're faced Roy Halladay in his home park, this could be one of them. But that doesn't mean they're choking or otherwise doomed. Baseball isn't about perfection, King Felix notwithstanding.

The fact is , without desi and the beast this is a very average lineup that has relied greatly on its starting rotation, throw in the inevitable mini slump and this is the product you get, it is really my biggest fear come playoff time..losing 1-0 or 2-1and wasting all of that good starting pitching

Zim with the GG stuff again. Time to take some momentum out of it.The lineup is really missing Desi and Beast. Desi was a master of the two-out RBI and he made everyone better with the confidence they took from him that he would pick them up. Missing one is one thing, but both is making it tough.

Mick. Dodgers, buying a 1B and got handed a SP that is a cancer, a OF that will be out until next year. They are trying to be relevant in LA and acting like a Drunk George Steinbrenner on an epic bender.

Please add "no sense of urgency" to the list of my least favorite phrases. It also includes "loss of focus", "dogging it", and "getting serious about hitting" C'mon people. This is a hard game. Failure happens – less for the Nats this year than most.

Dodgers may be hoping Beckett turns his game and attitude around in order to make Boston look bad…a la Manny a few years back…As others have said, the trade certainly shows that it wasn't Stan Kasten who was unwilling to spend crazy money in DC….

Michele, yes, crazy wabbit is a mischief maker. I just wish it was balanced off by something but it's not.This team has. Lot of heart. That tying rally, a 30 pitch inning off the Doc, came all from. Shark, Danny, KSuz, and Lombo. None of the big boppers. That's the difference between a solid, contending team and the team we have.

Off-topic, but what did I tell you people about Ben Sheets being like a rusted-out 1967 Olds Cutlass? To wit:SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Right-hander Ben Sheets was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation before the Atlanta Braves' game against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.Sheets lost his third straight start on Thursday night as part of Atlanta's six-man rotation. He won four of his first five starts.The Braves do not intend to replace him in the rotation and recalled right-hander Miguel Batista from Triple-A to pitch out of the bullpen.Miss Iowa is back!

I love it, KSuz and Gio using their own sign language. And Gio pitches out of another jam, getting two of the toughest outs in the lineup with Utley and Hoeard.Crucial no-giveback inning. Now get some more with the heart of the lineup.

Haha Eugene…I hadn't thought of that! But it would give the dopey National Media types something to talk about besides Shutdown-Gate…Current teammates of Clemens include Nationals "greats" Tim Redding, Saul Rivera, and Gary Majewski…

Michele, I think it's the BAPIP gods turning against us again, law of averages. Zim stung that liner that got Harp doubled off, that could as easily have been an RBI double.Unfortunately, some nights that's how they roll. C'mon, Sean, get Howard in a DP.

Its also really not the same shutdown bullpen that it was earlier in the season. This Phillies team is taking advantage of the Nats weaknesses. You know they're upset that the roles have been switched.

This has been a particular blend of pathetic managing and playing the last three games. Sean Burnett decides to throw an inside lolly pop to a player known for letting the ball hit him. Nice, deep thinking.

Wow, an ugly strike call to end an uglier inning. We lucked out there. McCatty needs to work with the pitchers on holding the runners. I would hate to lose a critical game because some chisler ran the bases without a hit occurring.

It is not the legion of doom, but I have rarely seen three such horrible games in a row by a team 30 games over .500, and the blame goes to Davey and Rizzo as well.Either get Desmond on the field or get him off. At some point you have to want to play. Pete Rose would have been out there playing. Bryce Harper would have been out there playing. And what is the deal with the running? We have one fast player and he doesn't start. Why would you run a guy when you are two runs down in the ninth?

Exposremains said… Swift Eagle It doesn't matter how many games you're ahead. When the playoff comes, its a new ballgame. I'm sure you know that. August 25, 2012 9:50 PM ___________________________________You're right about the playoffs…but on Aug 25, the ONLY thing that matters is how many games you're ahead…

Burnett hitting that guy is just inexcusable. Let him hit a home run. You can't walk a guy or throw a lollypop inside pitch like that. If you are going to hit a guy in the 9th, the guy you hit better be coming out of the game. The announcer just said Burnett did not cost them the game, but that is not exactly true. He definitely lowered the probability of winning by a substantial amount, even though his whip will not reflect it.I don't mind guys playing and failing but mental mistakes like Burnett's tonight cast a real taint on his accomplishments this year.

I wouldn't call that a "mental mistake"…He was trying to pitch inside and made a lousy pitch…more of a physical mistake…Now if you want to say Burnett's failure to hold Utley on the bases is a mental mistake, that's a fair point

You're right but I feel the Phillies even though they are not playing good this year they are still a playoff team and I feel they are tkaing advantage the of Nats the same way other teams might in the playoff.

Winning is tough. It's tougher without two of your best hitters, one of whom is a premier defender at SS. Nats have as close to a must-win game tomorrow as they did in game 3 in the 4-game Barves series. They also need to fix their current inability to hold people on base.

No doubt, the Nats have many weaknesses, and have areas that need improvement…The weaknesses are magnified in games like the last 3, when the opponents have had quality starting pitching (like the playoffs)Nats are a good team, learning to be great…this is part of the process